The global problem is obesity. Why is it so dangerous?

There is a silent killer that is often overlooked as it does not present an immediate problem. While many have it, often it is simply seen as a cosmetic issue by many. But it has many implications and often affects the body negatively and causes many issues. The problem is obesity. Obesity means having far too much body fat. It is about much more than physical appearance and clothing sizes. It can seriously affect your health in numerous ways. The obesity epidemic is actually a worldwide pandemic that has global implications for health and disease as many studies show.

In one of the largest studies ever to examine obesity rates across the globe by researcher Beverley Balkau, PhD, of the French health service INSERM found that more than 60% of men and 50% of women were either overweight or obese. She concluded that obesity is a growing problem in all regions of the world, even among traditionally lean Asian populations. The study involved 69,409 men and 98,750 women from 63 countries across five continents evaluated by their primary care doctors for body weight, height, cardiovascular disease (heart disease or stroke), diabetes, and waist circumference. The USA was not included in the study, which could have further reinforced the data as the USA is also severely affected by obesity, according to the CDC.

Obesity adversely affects many body parts and functions, from your joints to your heart, blood pressure, blood sugar, and other systems. The extra fat cells produce inflammation and various hormones, which boosts your odds of chronic diseases.

Waist circumference is now considered an important marker of obesity-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Measuring your waist is a good way to check you are not carrying too much fat around your stomach, which can raise your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. You can have a healthy BMI and still have excess tummy fat, meaning you're still at risk of developing these conditions, according to the NHS. In measuring obesity, BMI (Body Mass Index) is calculated as follows:

BMI is calculated using a person's height and weight. The formula is BMI = kg/m2 where kg is a person's weight in kilograms and m2 is their height in meters squared. A BMI of 25.0 or more is overweight, while the healthy range is 18.5 to 24.9.